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Arctic
The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Northern Canada, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost (permanently frozen underground ice) containing tundra. Arctic seas contain seasonal sea ice in many places. The Arctic region is a unique area among Earth's ecosystems. The cultures in the region and the Arctic indigenous peoples have adapted to its cold and extreme conditions. Life in the Arctic includes zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals, plants and human societies. Arctic land is bordered by the subarctic. Description Appearance The Arctic is usually represented with the clothes of different natives in his area. Personality The Arctic is a very cold and incomprehensible character. Only Antarctica is able to understand it. Interests * Fishing * Nature * Coldness * Large open spaces * Snow * Ice Flag meaning Its flag is white with its emblem, which is a arctic fox and the globe from North Pole representing the area where this organization operates. History Original inhabitants Humans may have lived in the Arctic as long as 30,000 years ago. Towards the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, hunters of caribou, woolly mammoths and woolly rhino followed herds of these animals through northern Siberia. They became the first humans to cross the Bering Strait to North America; a few thousand years later, some had settled along the Arctic coasts and become expert hunters of whales, walruses and seals. Although the indigenous peoples of the circumpolar world were ethnically diverse and scattered widely, their clothes, homes and semi-nomadic lifestyle gave them much in common. They hunted the same animals, shared some spiritual beliefs and organized their communities along co-operative lines. Extraordinarily resilient, they thrived by constantly adapting to an environment that can be both harsh and abundant. The first colonists The ancient Greeks gave the region its name, Arktos, meaning ‘bear’ – a reference to the Great Bear constellation that circles the northern sky. The Vikings first sailed north of the Arctic Circle in the ninth century when Erik the Red colonized southern Greenland. Then in the 12th century Russia began exploring and colonizing parts of northern Siberia. By the end of the 17th century the whole vast territory was part of the Russian empire. From the 1500s, European explorers travelled further and further north, claiming lands and often kidnapping a local native person to take home as proof of possession. The search for trades routes Walrus ivory, seal skins and furs were traded in Europe from the Middle Ages. It was common for rulers to be presented with polar bears – Henry III kept his in the Tower of London. But Arctic exploration really took off in the 16th century with attempts to find an Arctic sea passage from the Atlantic that would ease trade with Asia. British, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian and Danish adventurers spent four centuries attempting to find a route west and east through the seemingly impenetrable ice. All failed – and many died trying, their ships smashed and sunk by the shifting ice, their crews succumbing to scurvy or freezing to death while attempting to ‘overwinter’ on some distant shore. But these expeditions resulted in the exploration of large parts of the Arctic. New trading companies were set up, the most prominent being the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Royal Greenland Trading Company, both still in operation. Large-scale commercial whaling (for oil and bone) and walrus hunting (for tusks) began in the 1600s, making fortunes for those lucky enough not to perish. By 1900, populations of many Arctic marine mammals had collapsed and the bowhead whale was all but extinct. The American Arctic The British Navy made a concerted attempt from 1818 to 1845 to find the Northwest Passage, culminating in an ill-fated voyage by Sir John Franklin. The ships and crew were lost and at least 15 rescue expeditions failed to find them over the following years. It was the search for Franklin – and the Northwest Passage – that brought the US to the Arctic for the first time. The ensuing rush for whale oil off the Alaskan coast resulted in the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million. Its indigenous population was neither consulted nor informed. Canada claimed its portion of the Arctic, an archipelago of over 36,000 islands, from the British in 1880. In 1878, Finnish-Swedish scientist Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld was the first to navigate the Northeast Passage successfully. The Northwest Passage was finally traversed between 1903 and 1906 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. The race for the Pole Several nations made attempts to reach the North Pole after 1764. At first, many were convinced that the Arctic Ocean was open water ringed by ice, but early expeditions confirmed that it is largely frozen. The race really sped up towards the end of the 19th century, as explorers traversed the ice by foot, dog sled, even hot air balloon. In 1909, American Robert Peary (pictured, right, in his North Pole costume) claimed to have reached the North Pole just after his great rival Frederick Cook claimed the same, but the first surface expedition confirmed as having reached the Pole was that of American Ralph Plaisted, by snowmobile in 1968. The motives behind polar exploration were not merely adventure: from the 19th century scientific study of the Arctic landscape, ocean and climate were growing in importance. This led to the first ‘International Polar Year’ (1882-83), which saw scientific observation stations set up throughout the region. Resource rush Towards the end of the 19th century it became clear that parts of the Arctic are rich in mineral resources. In the 1890s the Klondike gold rush in Alaska and the Yukon brought thousands to the edge of the Arctic, enduring incredible hardship in the hopes of making their fortunes. This also resulted in the US and Canadian Governments imposing the rule of law on the far North for the first time. Russia found that it had masses of Arctic coal as well as diamonds, nickel and copper. Coal mining on Spitsbergen Island began in 1899 – 450,000 tons had been extracted by the 1970s. Most lucrative were oil and gas reserves, found in northern Alaska throughout the 20th century, although North America’s largest oil field was not discovered in Prudhoe Bay until 1968. Large-scale oil and gas production began in Siberia in the 1970s and has developed more recently in Canada and Norway. War in the Cold With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Arctic became a strategic location for transport of weapons and supplies, weather stations and pockets of fighting as the Germans attempted to sabotage the Allies’ operations. Bases, airstrips and radio links transformed communications across the region; Arctic communities would never again be as isolated. As the Cold War took hold in the 1950s, the Arctic became a crucial theatre in the stand-off between superpowers. Radar stations were built across the region, with enclaves of military personnel a permanent fixture in many locations. Aerial surveys developed the most accurate maps yet, fuelling tussles over sovereignty. Indigenous impacts Since the 19th century the impact of trade, hunting, resource extraction and a rapidly growing immigrant population has transformed native communities and traditional ways of life. In northern Alaska, commercial activity, such as whaling and oil drilling, has drawn indigenous communities into the market economy, with alcohol and disease proving especially damaging. Many Canadian Inuit in the 1950s were forced to abandon nomadic lifestyles and shifted to permanent settlements – including to the high Arctic to shore up Canadian claims to sovereignty – where they became dependent on government welfare. In Greenland, the original inhabitants were subjected to ‘obligatory civilization’ and in Russia, ‘Russification’ was imposed by the Soviets. Recent years have seen a resurgence of indigenous strength. Populations are growing and traditional languages and culture are recovering. Partly prompted by resistance to industrial development in their homelands, from the 1960s Arctic people started to organize for land rights and political autonomy. They have had varying degrees of success; from the near-independence of Greenland, to the ongoing struggle for basic rights in Russia. Organizations and Affiliations * Aleut International Association * Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska * Arctic Athabaskan Council * Gwich’in Council International * Indigenous People’s Council for Marine Mammals * US Arctic Research Commission * Institute of the North * The Arctic Institute: Center for Circumpolar Security Studies * Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies * International Arctic Research Center * Institute of Northern Engineering Politics Government Canada The Arctic policy of Canada includes both the foreign policy of Canada in regard to the Arctic region and Canada's domestic policy towards its Arctic territories. This includes the devolution of powers to the territories. Canada's Arctic policy includes the plans and provisions of these regional governments. It encompasses the exercise of sovereignty, social and economic development, the protection of the environment, and the improving and devolving of governance. Canada, along with the 7 other Arctic nations, is a member of the Arctic Council. On August 23, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq would serve as chair of the Arctic Council when Canada assumed the Chairmanship from Sweden in May 2013. Along with its mainland in the upper regions of North America, Canada claims sovereignty over the related continental shelf and the Arctic Archipelago. It considers the waters between the islands of the Archipelago to be Canadian Internal Waters. The United States among others considers those to be international waters. Canada has more Arctic land mass than any other country but one of the smallest Arctic populations. Canada's Arctic land is included within the administrative regions of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon, although geographically and in some cases legally, parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and Northern Quebec are included as well. As of 2011, approximately 107,265 Canadians live in the Arctic. Iceland March 28, 2011, the Althing passed a resolution on Iceland's Arctic Policy including the following: Promoting and strengthening the Arctic Council; Securing Iceland as a coastal State within the Arctic; Promoting concept that the Arctic region extends both to the North Pole and to the closely connected North Atlantic area; Resolving differences in the Arctic using United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; Increasing cooperation with the Faroe Islands and Greenland to promote the interests of the three countries; Supporting the indigenous rights in the Arctic; Cooperating with other States and stakeholders on issues relating to Icelandic interests in the Arctic; Working to prevent human-induced climate change and its effects in order to improve the well-being of Arctic residents; Safeguarding broadly defined security interests through civilian means and working against all militarization of the Arctic; Increasing trade relations between Arctic States; Advancing Icelanders' knowledge of Arctic issues and promoting Iceland abroad as a venue for Arctic conferences; Increasing consultations and cooperation at the domestic level on Arctic issues. Finland Arctic Policy of Finland is Finland's foreign relations with other Arctic countries, and Finland's government policies on issues occurring within the geographic boundaries of "the Arctic" or related to the Arctic or its peoples. Since Finland is itself an Arctic nation, with roughly one third of its territory existing above the Arctic Circle, the Arctic Policy of Finland includes its domestic policies as regards the Finnish Arctic region. Finland's Strategy for the Arctic Region was released June 4, 2010 and concentrates on seven priorities: security, environment, economy, infrastructure, indigenous peoples, institutions and the European Union. Diplomatically, Finland was integral in the creation of the Arctic Council and remains an active member. Indeed, Finland will be Chair of the Arctic Council in 2017-18 making for increased emphasis on Arctic policy during that time. Specifically, Finland is calling for making the Arctic Council a more robust treaty-making organization and for hosting a meeting of leaders of the eight Arctic nations during their Chairmanship. Finland has also been involved in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council since its creation in 1993. Finland emphasizes the importance of the Arctic Council as a forum for discussion and decision making and suggests strengthening the Council by installing better burden-sharing and a joint budget, establishing a permanent secretariat, expanding the normative role of the Council, enhancing interaction with non-Arctic actors and creating a Communications and Outreach Strategy for the Council. Finland also offers to host a high-level Arctic Summit to discuss the environmental concerns of natural resource exploitation, the legitimacy of different actors in the Arctic and the future of the Arctic Council. Finland is also an EU member, one of only three (along with Sweden and Denmark) Arctic nations, which give it a heightened role in the EU's Arctic Policy and similarly, give the EU a significant role in the Finnish Arctic strategy. Finland supports EU admittance as a permanent observer member of the Arctic Council. In recent years, geopolitical tensions with Russia and repeated military intrusions into Finnish airspace have reinvigorated a debate in Finland about cooperation with NATO, and even the potential for future NATO membership. Norway Arctic Policy of Norway is Norway's foreign relations with other Arctic countries, and Norway's government policies on issues occurring within the geographic boundaries of "the Arctic" or related to the Arctic or its people. Since Norway is itself an Arctic nation, the Arctic Policy of Norway includes its domestic policies as regards the Norwegian Arctic region. In Norway, development in the High North, including the Arctic, has been the Government’s highest foreign policy priority since 2005. The Norwegian Government’s High North strategy was released December 1, 2006. On March 12, 2009 Norway released the report “New Building Blocks in the North” which identifies seven priority areas: 1) climate and the environment; 2) monitoring-emergency response-maritime safety in northern waters; 3) sustainable development of offshore petroleum and renewable marine resources; 4) onshore business development; 5) infrastructure; 6) sovereignty and cross-border cooperation; and 7) the culture and livelihoods of indigenous peoples. In the 2011 central government budget, a total of NOK 1.2 billion was set aside for initiatives in the High North, a significant portion of which was earmarked for research. On April 21, 2017, the Norwegian Government released an updated version of its High North Strategy: "Norway's Arctic Strategy - between geopolitics and social development". Its priority areas included "international cooperation, business development, knowledge development, infrastructure, and environmental protection and emergency preparedness". Russia The Arctic policy of Russia is the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation with respect to the Russian region of the Arctic. The Russian region of the Arctic is defined in the "Russian Arctic Policy" as all Russian possessions located north of the Arctic Circle. (About one-fifth of Russia's landmass is north of the Arctic Circle.) Russia is one of five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean. In 2011, out of 4 million inhabitants of the Arctic, roughly 2 million lived in arctic Russia, making it the largest arctic country by population. However, in recent years Russia's Arctic population has been declining. The main goals of Russia in its Arctic policy are to utilize its natural resources, protect its ecosystems, use the seas as a transportation system in Russia's interests, and ensure that it remains a zone of peace and cooperation. Russia currently maintains a military presence in the Arctic and has plans to improve it, as well as strengthen the Border Guard/Coast Guard presence there. Using the Arctic for economic gain has been done by Russia for centuries for shipping and fishing. Russia has plans to exploit the large offshore resource deposits in the Arctic. The Northern Sea Route is of particular importance to Russia for transportation, and the Russian Security Council is considering projects for its development. The Security Council also stated a need for increasing investment in Arctic infrastructure. Russia conducts extensive research in the Arctic region, notably the manned drifting ice stations and the Arktika 2007 expedition, which was the first to reach the seabed at the North Pole. The research is partly aimed to back up Russia's territorial claims, specifically those related to Russia's extended continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. Sweden Arctic Policy of Sweden is Sweden's foreign relations with other Arctic countries, and Sweden's government policies on issues occurring within the geographic boundaries of "the Arctic" or related to the Arctic or its peoples. Since Sweden is itself an Arctic nation, the Arctic Policy of Sweden includes its domestic policies as regards the Swedish Arctic region. Sweden was Chair of the Arctic Council until the ministerial meeting in May, 2013. Sweden asserts that the Arctic Council "should be more active in developing common policies and practical projects" for the benefit of the Arctic region. Since Sweden is an EU member, (along with Finland and Denmark) the EU Arctic Policy will play a role in the Swedish Arctic strategy. Denmark The Arctic Policy of the Kingdom of Denmark defines the Kingdom’s (Denmark together with Greenland and the Faroe Islands) foreign relations and policies with other Arctic countries, and the Kingdom’s Strategy for the Arctic on issues occurring within the geographic boundaries of "the Arctic" or related to the Arctic or its peoples. The Kingdom of Denmark is an Arctic nation with the importance of The unity of the Realm with Denmark in Europe and the self-governing countries Greenland in the Arctic and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Since Denmark proper is a member state of the European Union, (along with Finland and Sweden) the Arctic policy of European Union will play a role in the Kingdom's, Arctic Strategy. United States The Arctic policy of the United States refers to the foreign policy of the United States in regard to the Arctic region. In addition, the United States' domestic policy toward Alaska is part of its Arctic policy. Since March 30, 1867 (when the United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire), the United States of America has been one of the eight Arctic nations and one of the five Arctic Ocean littoral countries. The United States has been a member of the Arctic Council since its inception in 1996 and assumed the Chairmanship (from Canada) in April 2015. 4 of the Arctic Council's 6 Permanent Participant indigenous organizations have representatives in Alaska. The United States is also an observer of the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region. Since 1880, the global temperature has risen 0.8°C; but the temperature in the Arctic has warmed twice as much, leading to much less sea ice coverage and greater accessibility to natural resources, transport passages and fisheries. The goals stated in the United States Arctic Policy released in NSPD-66 on January 9, 2009 are as follows: Meet national security and homeland security needs relevant to the Arctic region; Protect the Arctic environment and conserve its biological resources; Ensure that natural resource management and economic development in the region are environmentally sustainable; Strengthen institutions for cooperation among the eight Arctic nations (the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Sweden); Involve the Arctic's indigenous communities in decisions that affect them; and Enhance scientific monitoring and research into local, regional, and global environmental issues. On May 10, 2013, the Obama White House released the National Strategy for the Arctic Region, emphasizing three areas: advancing U.S. security interests, pursuing responsible Arctic region stewardship, and strengthening international cooperation. Canada is the United States' closest partner in Arctic affairs, due to geographic proximity and similar Arctic policy directives. The countries work together on scientific research, including mapping the Arctic sea floor. Two significant disagreements are the border dispute in the Beaufort Sea and the legal designation (international or internal waters) of the Northwest Passage. Geography The Arctic is the northernmost region of Earth. Most scientists define the Arctic as the area within the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude about 66.5° north of the Equator. Within this circle are the Arctic ocean basin and the northern parts of Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. state of Alaska. The Arctic is almost entirely covered by water, much of it frozen. Some frozen features, such as glaciers and icebergs, are frozen freshwater. In fact, the glaciers and icebergs in the Arctic make up about 20% of Earth’s supply of freshwater. Most of the Arctic, however, is the liquid saltwater of the Arctic ocean basin. Some parts of the ocean’s surface remain frozen all or most of the year. This frozen seawater is called sea ice. Often, sea ice is covered with a thick blanket of snow. Sea ice helps determine Earth’s climate. Sea ice has a very bright surface, or albedo. This albedo means about 80% of sunlight that strikes sea ice is reflected back to space. The dark surface of the liquid ocean, however, absorbs about 90% of solar radiation. Due to thermohaline circulation, the Arctic’s thick, reflective sea ice moderates ocean temperatures around the world. The Arctic experiences the extremes of solar radiation. During the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months, the Arctic is one of the coldest and darkest places on Earth. Following sunset on the September equinox, the Earth’s tilted axis and its revolution around the sun reduce the light and heat reaching the Arctic until no sunlight penetrates the darkness at all. The sun rises again during the March equinox, and increases the light and heat reaching the Arctic. By the June solstice, the Arctic experiences 24-hour sunshine. Relationships Family * [[Antarctica|'Antarctica']] — wife (depends on the person) * Spain — mother-in-law * Canada — cousin * Russia — father-in-law * Finland — uncle/aunt * Norway — father * Sweden — uncle/aunt * Denmark — uncle/aunt * Iceland — uncle/aunt or brother/sister * Faroe Islands — cousin * Greenland — brother/sister Friends * European Union * United States Trivia * The Arctic should not be confused with Greenland. This has become a rather noticeable error in fandom. References * https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/arctic/ * https://newint.org/features/2009/07/01/arctic-history Category:Characters Category:Everything Category:Organisations Category:Northern Europe Category:North America Category:Asia Category:Europe Category:The Americas